


Weathering The Storm

by WithoutForesight



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Earthquakes and thunderstorms, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-pacifist surface, brief dissociative episode, mention of past resets, still don’t know how to tag things on here I’m sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23907373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithoutForesight/pseuds/WithoutForesight
Summary: There are many differences between life on the surface and life underground, thunderstorms being one of the more significant ones.  However, even something new can bring about memories of the past, including ones better left forgotten.
Relationships: Papyrus/Papyrus (Undertale), Spicyhoney
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Weathering The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Partially inspired by keelywolfe’s baon drabble bolt! And my personal headcanon that Underfell would get bad earthquakes that would leave Edge a little......shaken up.
> 
> Edit: I really have to come back and fix this up sometime, because coming back and rereading it, I realize I didn’t clarifying who is being referred to at any given time nearly enough. And over all I just don’t think I painted the picture as clearly as I could have. Alas, will hopefully fix it sometime soon! - 26 7 20

Nothing the underground had to offer could ever compare to the surface weather. The harsh chill of Snowdin so unlike the crisp, bright Winters, the sweltering dry heat of Hotland a stark contrast to the welcoming warmth of Summer. And Waterfall rain? Practically a leaky faucet by comparison.

While he hadn’t been able to find any sort of respite in sleep, he had somehow still managed to find at least some spite - and it just so happened to be sitting in the kitchen, watching light rain drum across the windows. The skeleton hardly acknowledge his company with more than a brief glance, but there was no contempt in those eye lights before they were lazily drawn back to the show.

“guilty conscience keeping you up?”

“yeah, probably.”

That one earned him an amused huff. Sans was a difficult book to read, even given how similar they were. Or rather, could be, at times. But he seemed personable enough tonight, so, testing his luck, he strolled the rest of the way to the table and slumped down onto the chair opposite.

“what’re you in for?”

He wasn’t entirely expecting an answer, but the other skeleton surprised him by shifting his focus as he rolled head to the side to look the other in the eyes.

“just tryin’ to figure some stuff out.”

The unusually exaggerated dark smudges under his sockets suggested this wouldn’t be his first night into this particular endeavor. He suspected they mirrored his own.

“got anything so far?”

Flicking his eye lights back to the window in contemplation, Sans’s smile was more sincere when his focus returned to the other monster.

“let me get back to you on that.”

The hush of modest rainfall soon became a wash of white noise as a proper storm moved in. Their conversation (how they’d ended up talking about cars and what kind they were betting their brothers would get was beyond him) waned into an easy quiet as they listened, once again opting to watch the kitchen window.

The low rumble of thunder a warning before distant lightning sparked through the sky. As the heavy atmosphere thickened, their own seemed to dissipate, allowing an unfamiliar peace to settle between them. The thunder clapped again, only this time the flash followed closely.

And that, in turn, was followed by the muffled sound of stirring above them. Possibly someone else soon to join them. Neither bothered gathering their attention, content in minding their own business, but as predicted, the movement grew louder. But…it was too quick, too frantic. Sans’s eye lights flicked a question to him as they both shuffled up and to the doorway, just in time to catch one of the younger skeletons practically flying to, and out, the front door. In nothing more than pajamas, no less.

Lightning cracked the sky, illuminating the dim house in a stuttering flash, booming louder than before as they stood there, all but gawking.

“i mean, i know my brother likes the rain, but…”

No, no that hadn’t been Rus, but as his thoughts raced to piece together what could be going on, he didn’t get the chance to voice his opinion before said skeleton ambled curiously down the stairs beside them.

“Brother?”

The three of them watched each other carefully, a silent conversation of admissions that none of them had any answers when they were soon joined by the remaining two residents of the household.

“Is everything okay?” Those sleep hazed, pale blue eye lights singled him out and it was only then that he realized it had been his own brother who’d rushed out haphazardly into the murky depths of a thunderstorm.

“i don’t…”  _know_ . Another rolling crash of thunder and lighting lit the room in sparks of iridescent gold.

Oh.

_ Oh . _

The pieces finally settling into place, the picture became achingly clear.

“aw _shit_.”

All eyes were on him as he rolled back on his heels, running a gloved hand over his face with a bemoaned sigh. Careful not to meet any prying gazes, he followed his brother’s path toward the door.

“everything’s fine. i’ll go get ‘im.”

And with that, the door was open and closed before anyone could bother asking a question he wouldn’t answer. The second he was off the porch rain soaked him through to the bone. Possibly even the marrow, considering how torrentially it was downpouring.

It hadn’t occurred to him, but of course Papyrus would think of it,  _of course_ he would. And he was an idiot for not even at least realizing that much. His intuition guided his feet to the backyard before he could even think of where to look, and sure enough, his brother stood staunch, facing the tree line, defiance radiating from his posture like he could somehow challenge Mother Nature and come out on top. The rain pounding down in sheets blurred his vision, but even still, the anxious glow of red magic was visible from behind, eye lights blazing with determination.

He didn’t get closer than with a couple of yards before Papyrus called out over the noise.

“There are three trees that could cause serious damage to the house should they be struck; two that could cause minor-“

“papyrus.”

He carefully surveyed the plot but refused to divide his attention, “Go back inside and make sure nothing is plugged into an electrical outlet! Use magic, don’t touch them, even if-“

“ papyrus! ”

The monster’s head snapped back toward him in alarm, uncharacteristic fear flashing across his face as he tried to infer what ‘bad thing’ had already happened to warrant an interruption. He’d since managed to trudge close enough that he didn’t have to yell, but even almost two feet apart he still had to raise his voice over the storm.

“‘rus, it’ll be fine. come back inside.”

Confusion replaced his panic, but it quickly melted back into a sharp glare, “It is absolutely  not fine, I have to make sure that the trees are-“

“bro, papyrus, the trees’re-“

Another bolt wracked the sky, even shaking the ground they stood on, flashing almost as brilliantly as his brother’s eyes as he instinctively lunged forward, wrapping himself around his older brother. It was only then that he realized how terribly the skeleton was shaking. Or perhaps that had been the last straw.

The taller monster only clutched on long enough to determine that there was no immediate danger before unraveling himself and straightening up.

“It’s too dangerous to go unchecked.”

Shaking his head, he knew full well this would be an uphill battle, but he also knew his idiot brother would stand out here in the pouring rain for hours until it stopped and wind up himself up in the ICU for a rousing game of Guess The Diagnosis with everyone’s favorite mad scientist turned reluctant physician Doctor Alphys. Or whatever the hell they were supposed to be calling her these days.

“it’s a thunderstorm, ‘rus. ‘n i’m willing to bet these trees,” gesturing to a particularly gnarled one on his far left, he stepped closer, “have seen a lot worse.”

“You know as well as I the havoc-“

“yeah, i do. but this kinda shit happens all the time on the surface.”

The hellfire of his brother’s eyes seemed tamer than before, but that defiance remained.

“I’m not willing to risk everyone’s safety by underestimating the severity of this squall.”

“you’re not, bro, this one’s not that bad, okay? trust me, i can feel it.”

Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he had to tilt his head down for a moment to refocus, “‘sides that,” it didn’t really help, the second he looked back up his vision immediately drowned out in the rain, “you can see most ‘a the yard from the back door. you can relive your glory days of sentry duty from the comfort of indoors.”

“The visibility is limited.” His sharp tone wavered, more assessing than argumentative.

“yeah, this might  _shock_ you to know, but uh, ’m pretty sure you’d notice if lightning struck anywhere within a hundred yards of this place…from just about anywhere.”

The skeleton shifted, cradling his arms as he turned back to his self-assigned post, studying the yard carefully, or at least whatever he could manage to see through the flood. Patience was the only answer when it came to Papyrus, any Papyrus, really, pressuring him would only cement his self assured stance and he’d refuse. But it was looking like some mysterious god of luck was smiling down on him tonight, because his brother turned back to him, uncertainty in his eyes and brow bones furrowed.

“Alright”.

_‘alright’. Good._

Nodding, he let his brother study the yard a minute more before heading the trudge back to the front door. He elected to remove his now mud caked slippers on the porch, Papyrus waiting distractedly- stars above, he actually ran out there without even stopping to throw on a pair of socks, he was completely barefoot.

Withholding a sigh, he opened the door and motioned the other monster before him. The others had since migrated to various seats across the living room, watching with equal parts concern and curiosity as Papyrus, or rather, ‘Edge’, ghosted past without so much as a glance and disappeared up the stairs.

He followed quickly, not exactly overjoyed at the prospect of handling the inevitable harassment solo, and- wait, Papyrus was aimlessly b-lining for their bedroom, all soaked and muddy. Shortcutting him off, he herded his brother toward the bathroom.

“wipe summa that off first, bro, i’ll grab some clothes.”

Eye lights dim and fuzzy now, all he offered was a nod.

_Great_.

He hated seeing his brother like this. It hadn’t happened so much Underground, but in the months they’d so far been on the surface, these weird, silent episodes had been happening frequently, usually after something reminded him of ‘home’. Some sort of coping mechanism or something, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth as proof that Sans was right about how miserably he’d failed. He should’ve been a better brother, could’ve done more. He already knew that, thanks, a daily dose of fresh guilt was hardly needed.

It was the least he could do now to help him out when he got like this.

The bathroom was dark when he returned, Papyrus not bothering with a light before sitting on the edge of the tub and working a dry washcloth around the intricacies of his metatarsals. It was a small miracle he hadn’t tried a shower in his state, and that seed of guilt blossomed further at the realization he should’ve made sure before leaving him to his own devices. Regardless, he seemed to be coming around, murmuring a thank you as the clothes were slid onto the space beside him.

Stripping off his own soaked clothes to put in the hamper with the others, he was changing into his pajamas when another bolt cracked like a whip. His brother flinched, hands shaking as he worked a t-shirt over his head, carefully avoiding the perceptive gaze raking over him.

_Fell_ , as the others called it, was always fast mornings and burnt coffee, so even without the convenience of a shower, they were already back downstairs before anyone had the chance to nod off. The dim glow of eye lights were all that illuminated the room, but the storm bright sky made it easy enough to navigate. The uncomfortable silence, not so much.

“I apologize for disrupting everyone’s sleep.” Papyrus stood next to him, straight as a god damn arrow, making a solid effort to meet everyone’s focus with reassurance, “I may have…misinterpreted the situation.”

“nah, it’s good. you know most of us barely sleep anyway.” Stretch was the first to pipe up, clearing his throat, his brother shifting a little in his spot beside him.

“I didn’t realize you were afraid of thunderstorms, Edge.” There was no hint of teasing in that worried tone, but his brother tensed beside him. Hell, everyone in the room tensed.

“I am not-“ a particularly harsh clap of thunder jolted the skeleton, magic flaring in his sockets for no more than a beat before he collected himself, smoothing his clothes as the vaguest tint of magic brushed along his cheekbones.

“I am not  _scared_ ,” Edge conceded with a sight of reluctance, dropping his shoulders as he stepped further into the room and eased down into an armchair. He waited patiently for his brother to follow suit before turning back to his attentive audience.

“Earthquakes were not entirely uncommon, in our version of the underground,” his voice was low, memories fighting to be retrieved from where they’d since been buried, “and they could be…severe.”

Everyone listened with bated breath, and he did his best not to notice his brothers marred hands fidget and twist as he tried to hide the way they were shaking.

“There was little to no warning of when they would strike, and even less to speak of how much damage they would leave in their wake.”

His unusually quiet voice carried easily in the otherwise stark silence of the room, only accompanied by the pounding of the rain.

“I understand that the surface carries a far broader variety of such occurrences, but I have yet to adapt an ability to gauge their…potential.”

Around him he watched as the others shifted, or exchanged subtle looks. Sans stared at him unabashedly, wordlessly assuring him he was expecting the full truth at some point.

“However, rest assured I will better educate myself before making the same mistake again.” The strain of his voice reflected in his clenched fists, and if a soul’s pulse wasn’t completely silent there was no doubt they could all hear his racing by now. He must’ve been-

A shuddering crack sounded, but his brother barely flinched, probably couldn’t tense more than he already was, and everyone’s attention swiftly locked back onto him. A strained uncertainty settled in, no one wanting to say the wrong thing, which could be anything at all, when it came to his brother.

“I have this old book,” Blue dared, hesitating to run a hand over the back of his neck, “it um, it’s about weather patterns on the surface, and mythology-“ he cut himself off, shaking his head, “It has some neat stuff in it, about how to tell how close the lightning is by the thunder, what the color of the sky means…”

His smile earnest, he shuffled further from the back of the couch to rest his feet on the floor, “You’re welcome to borrow it!”

His brother nodded, keeping his focus on the floor, “Thank you.”

The air of discomfiture settled a bit, hushed chatter eventually bubbling up around the room. The upcoming movie night seemed like a favored topic, and before long, Sans had fallen asleep in his chair, Blue hustling a half-conscious Stretch up the stairs, and Rus was stood in front of his brother, chattering something off about their humans and, yeah, there was probably something in there ‘Edge’ could decipher as helpful. Sometimes it was like those two spoke a language all their own, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Stretch knew it, too. Never showed it, if he did. He was as much a mystery as Sans was, most of the time.

But as Rus hoisted his own brother over his shoulder and wished them a good morning, his heavy eyelids began reminding him of his own exhaustion. ’Edge’ got to his feet, just in time to stiffen as another clap of thunder rang out. This time, he barely showed it, expression carefully neutral as he moved calmly toward the hall leading to the back door.

“Goodnight, brother.”

The thought to wander after him, make sure he was okay, linger a little longer just to buffer the anxiety flickered through his mind. But it couldn’t speak loud enough to shake the wispy threads of sleep loose as they wove around him, tying him to his chair, to his body, to the soft darkness spreading from the corners of his vision as his eyelids slid shut and he fell into a drained slumber.

—————————

The muffled conversations of the few still awake had since faded and the house was still again. His brother’s slow, deep breaths were barely audible over the steady wash of rain against the roof. He watched the skeleton lay almost motionless, features softened in the grey-blue dim casting over him from the window, until a flash filled the room in uneven bursts, highlighting everything in eerie shadows and harsh light before vanishing just as quickly.

His thoughts drifted downstairs, to the causation of his freshly bothered wakefulness. Few things felt more surreal than being awake at odd hours during a thunderstorm, and yet seeing the normally brazen monster so thoroughly shaken managed to be one of them. Sure, living through multiple earthquakes could make anyone clench their jaw at the first sign of something similar, but Edge? The few times he’d been…’lucky’ enough to see the ex-captain in practice, he’d handled those situations like a champ. Cool, calm, assessing. Panic leads to panic, and he proved his understanding of that ideology through and through. So this? Definitely an outlier.

At first, when the door had creaked open a few hours ago, he’d thought his brother had gotten up already and returned to check on him, but seeing the monster lying opposite the moment his sockets cracked open had certainly left him wondering. No alarm, no call to arms, just another sharp whine as the door closed again. And even after everything that followed, he felt no more closer to understanding the situation than he had from the beginning.

Sliding his feet off the mattress, it took a moment to adjust to being in a bed on an actual frame as he swung himself into an upright position. His body disagreed with him, wanting to retreat back into the warmth under the blankets, so he compromised, pulling the comforter over his shoulders as he hoisted himself to his feet. Blue wasn’t a heavy sleeper, per se, but he was well practiced in getting around him without causing a commotion, shutting the door carefully before making his way down the stairs.

Motion caught the corner of his socket, freezing on the second to last step until he realized; Red was sacked out in the chair closest to the television. Head lolled back as a snore or two escaped, he couldn’t resist a chuckle, shaking his head before continuing on down the hall toward the back door.

Sure enough, on the far side of the dining room, a tall, slender silhouette sat before the large glass doors, curtains pulled back and tied neatly. He was on the floor, intent on scanning every cloud, tree, and blade of grass from as close as he could safely be to the windows. Dense shadows concealed every feature beyond what could be outlined by the gentle luminosity of night, and it felt like he’s stepped into a dream.

He didn’t so much as take another step when that skull turned just enough to watch him, magic like an ember glowing it’s determination. A chill ran up his spine, and he could only offer the beginnings of a smile in return. Edge blinked slowly, the exhaustion on his face painfully obvious for just a second before he returned his focus back to the storm. Well, it was better than attitude, he supposed.

Shuffling his socks over the hardwood, he made his way across the room without so much as a creak of the floorboards, eyeing the other cautiously to gauge his welcome. While the monster had been warming up to him lately, Stretch was certainly pushing his luck in looking to keep him company after something that had clearly made him feel…vulnerable? Weak? Stupid? It was impossible to decipher what kind of negative thoughts would provoke such a sense of shame over a completely justifiable response.

Of course, that was Edge, wasn’t it? Impossible to decipher, from any angle, at the best of times. He was entirely predictable, for the most part, but that didn’t mean whatever was predicted made any damn sense. It felt like knowing the grass would turn pink if it started wilting toward the left, yet not a soul could tell him why. It just would. And the next day it might be purple and no one else seemed so entirely at a loss as to why as him.

Yeah. That was Edge.

He could’ve guessed the monster wouldn’t acknowledge him settling down on the floor beside him, could’ve guess the darkening smudges under his eyes would look worse than usual, could’ve guessed he’d heave a sigh and lean back, snatching a second pillow from a nearby chair to wordlessly offer it, and he could’ve guessed they’d sit there in total silence as the rain poured and thunder and lightning woke the sky in a brilliant display of electricity. Edge watched it passively, but whether he had actually grown accustomed or was feigning his disinterest was anyone’s guess.

Still, it was nice, maybe, just to be there together. And he wouldn’t have been able to say what possessed him to wrangle the blanket sideways, smiling with as much genuine sincerity as he could muster as he tugged the side out in a cautious offer.

But what he couldn’t have guessed was the way Edge would stare at him, then his hand, the blanket, then him again. Same blank, hazy expression, drawling back and forth between the two for a minute before tentatively accepting, wrapping it around his own shoulders.

Neither of them were exactly small. Few monsters had him beat in the height department, Edge being one of them, and he was broader, too. Meaning, of course, his miscalculation lead to the two of them being drawn considerably closer than he’d expected, which was twice as close as he’d ever expected the other to allow. Shoulder to shoulder, and, barring the slight hint of magic heating his cheekbones, the warmth was surprisingly welcoming.

Letting out a shaky sigh, the skeleton’s lids sunk down until they rested closed, and he could only watch with some strange mixture of captivation and complete understanding. A pang of guilt struck him in time with the thunder as those weary sockets fluttered back open, blinking in a vain attempt to focus his muzzy eye lights.

“would it help if i offered to keep an eye out myself?”

It felt wrong breaking the quietude with his too loud whisper, but Edge didn’t notice. Didn’t react at all, actually, just blinked again, refocusing, pulling himself further from much needed rest.

He’d take that loss on the chin, at least he hadn’t been shoved away, or told to-

“The first one, the first…time…” low and rough, clearing his throat did little good, and he continued scrupulously analyzing the sky, “the first earthquake after we moved to Snowdin…”

“It…almost killed my brother.”

There it was.

Fighting his instinct to turn away, his soul clenched behind his sternum. That fierce concentration wasn’t really on the clouds, hadn’t been, maybe the whole time he’d been here, and he internally scolded himself for not catching it sooner.

“It collapsed nearly half the house. It was…a miracle we’d fallen asleep on the couch that night. If he we hadn’t, if he’d been in his room…”

The warmth of the blanket felt too hot now, sticky in the damp atmosphere, and he hoped it seemed subtle when he shifted away to better face the other.

“They never…they were always bad. So many dusted…”

Reaching a hand up to rest on his shoulder, Edge sighed, closing his eyes at the gentle touch.

They’d all been through so much, for so long. But Edge and Red? Their world was an unjust punishment, and for what, he couldn’t even say. He’d been hard on them, at first, he wasn’t the type to trust anyone quickly, let alone those with LV. But the day he’d set foot in Fell, the day it clicked that Edge and Rus were one in the same, it all became nauseatingly clear that he’d only become what he’d needed to be. For himself, for his brother, for the monsters he worked day and night to protect. And boy was that epiphany a one two punch of guilt and regret.

Edge never held it against him. Which almost made it worse. But instead of wallowing in his own self pity, he’d decided to make it up to him, or at least as much as he could.

When those weary sockets forced themselves back open, he leaned into their periphery.

“can’t promise you the weather up here’s always gunna be sunshine and rainbows, edgelord,“ the look he got for that was the physical embodiment of sarcasm, he could practically hear the ‘ _really?_ ’, “but. you’ve got us now. we’re pretty good at taking care of ourselves, alright? ‘n your bros got us, too.”

There was something in that expression he didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, but he hoped it meant he’d take those words to heart. Edge watched him tiredly, most likely trying to work a coherent response out of his stress addled mind, when another bolt lit the sky, the light flashing across the monster’s face, and suddenly, he became a stranger. Someone who was very, very far away despite them sitting no more than a foot apart. A half a foot apart. Inches apart…had they been this close the whole time?

In the milliseconds between each flash, they’d wound close enough that he could feel breath on his teeth, hot and damp, his chest so tight he was sure he wasn’t reciprocating, and when the lightning passed, they were too close to focus, every detail fuzzy under that smoldering crimson glow, and…

“Thank you,” he felt the breathed words more than heard them, “thank you.”

And teeth were pressed against his own, frustratingly chaste, and gone far too soon as Edge pulled away, returning to his cushion, fixated once again on the storm outside.

He’d imagined it, had to have. Sitting there, bewildered, confused…disappointed? Had Edge really..? Had he..? He shifted unthinkingly back to his own spot, and there they were, still almost shoulder to shoulder, almost touching, almost close…

So why did it feel like they were even further apart than before?

The humid warmth was less uncomfortable now, but not the welcoming one it had been. The sky remained dark, giving no clue to what hour of early morning was nearing, but the clouds continued swirling ominously. With a heavy sigh, he settled back on his hips.

He was in this for the long run, and it was looking like the rain wouldn’t be letting up any time soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Is the truth really the truth if it’s not all of it...?  
> Feel free to come check out my [spicyhoney blog](https://dumbgaybabylmao.tumblr.com)!


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